Which extra duties Vice President Ronnie Brunswijk will be given after July 16 must be made clear. Before the Council of Ministers meeting on Wednesday, the vice president made this statement to the media. The vice president and president Chan Santokhi have already spoken about the new responsibilities and what else has to be done for the nation. Although everything has already been addressed, Brunswijk insists that we must wait until July 16.
On July 16, the second part of the Santokhi government will take office. According to Brunswijk, we’ll have to wait and see what happens. “I won’t make any promises. I first have to see and know what available resources I will be working with in order to be able to talk about it.”
The question was also raised about what will happen to the second tranche of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) of approximately US$53 million that Suriname will receive. According to Brunswijk, part of the money will be used to strengthen the government’s program. There are various programs that are being implemented by the government especially the social safety net.
At the last government press conference, Santokhi had promised that he would work harder in the second half of his term of office. The community will see much more visible action from the government. In order to qualify for the second tranche of the IMF, Suriname had to reduce even more subsidies, which it did. For example, the monthly subsidy on electricity and water will be phased out from this month.
The continuation of the social safety net from the Ministry of Social Affairs and Housing must be carried out at a faster pace. While the government will do more work after July 16, fuel prices are rising. The exchange rate is also rising with the result that the goods in the shops are becoming more expensive.
